Wichita, KS (Oct. 29th) - Tim Boron was at the top of his game on Wednesday night, stopping all 27 shots he faced including two breakaways to help the Thunder (1-1-1-0) claim a 2-0 victory over the Tulsa Oilers (2-1-0-0) on Wednesday night at INTRUST Bank Arena. Boron claimed his 13th professional shutout and second as a member of the Thunder while Alex Bourret and Todd Hosmer provided enough offense. Wichita evens the StoneWolf Casino Cup Series at 1-0-1-0 and will take on the Oilers this coming Sunday at 4:05 at the BOK Center.
Boron was tested early and made a terrific save on Adam Pleskach, who came down on a breakaway to only see his wrist shot denied. Wichita was outshot 10-7 in the opening frame. Tommy Mele almost caught Boron out of the net on a wrap-around opportunity, but Boron somehow got back and kept the game scoreless.
In the second, Wichita capitalized on a two-man advantage after Drew Fisher and Tommy Mele were sent off for minors. Alex Bourret scored his first goal of the season on a feed from Nikita Kashirsky and Stephen Schultz that would hold up as the game-winner. He fired a one-timer from the right circle past Kevin Carr and gave the Thunder a 1-0 lead. As time expired, Kenton Miller sent a shot right off the post that would have given Wichita two-goal cushion heading into the third.
The Thunder added an insurance goal when Erick Lizon fed a nifty pass through the defenders legs to Todd Hosmer who came in on his off-wing and fired a wrist shot through the wickets of Carr. The Oilers tried desperately to come back, but couldn't solve Boron. He stopped another breakaway opportunity from Charles Lachance earlier in the frame and came up huge in the final two minutes to secure the win.
Schultz and Walker collected helpers in the game, extending their point-streaks to three games. Kashirksy added an assist and has points in his last two. Todd Hosmer has goals in consecutive games with his second of the season tonight. Boron earned the victory, stopping all 27 shots. Carr suffered his first loss of the year, stopping 22 of 24 shots.
Wichita went 1-for-3 on the power play. Tulsa was 0-for-2 with the man advantage.
The Thunder will have a few days off before hosting the Missouri Mavericks on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. Wichita pays a visit to Tulsa on Sunday, November 2nd at 4:05 p.m.
Individual tickets are on sale now. Don't delay! Tickets can be purchased at the INTRUST Arena Box office, by calling 755-SEAT or go online at www.selectaseat.com. Stay up-to-date on all the news during the season by visiting www.wichitathunder.com.
About the ECHL
The ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 28 teams in 20 states and one Canadian province for its 27th season in 2014-15. There have been 541 players who have started their career in the ECHL have gone on to play in the National Hockey League, including 29 who made their NHL debuts in the 2013-14 season. The ECHL had affiliations with 26 of the 30 NHL teams in 2013-14, marking the 17th consecutive season that the league had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com, as well as on Twitter and Facebook.
-Thunder-